Brokeback Mountain

I'm looking forward to this film - I hope it makes it to Dunoon - although I doubt if I'll be going to watch it with my husband. He, along with most of the heterosexual male population I suspect, cringes at the thought of watching two men in love.

I found an amusing guide for straight men faced with this dilemma here, although even reading that may not have any effect.

So what's the problem?

I adore the idea of two hunky guys in love. After all, we've had plenty of precedents, although they don't exactly spell it out, but it's there: Butch Cassidy and Sundance, Ben Hur and Messala, Napoleon and Illya, the Lone Ranger and Tonto for heaven's sake - although I suspect the LR had something going with Silver too *g*. Women like stories about men, and particularly if there are no extraneous females getting in the way of our adoration. Oh, I like conventional love stories too, but I'm more a fan of action films (Ben Hur etc) and have never really thought until now about why I prefer stories that are essentially about men.

And what do men like? I suspect the fact that my brother has every film Julia Roberts ever made and my son drools over Keira Knightly and my husband adores anything featuring Joanna Lumley speaks for itself. I know it's a huge generalisation, but stereotypes are stereotypes because people make them so. Men like looking at women and vice versa. I bet if there was a film featuring Julia Roberts and Keira Knightly playing two women in love, the men would be dragging us along.

Yes - dragging us along. You see, in spite of myself, in spite of the fact that I'm perfectly accepting of gay love - I'm proud of my gay son and his partner - as a straight woman, I found myself not really wanting to watch when Natalie kissed her nurse pal on 'Eastenders' a few weeks ago, or when Octavia and Servilia got it together in 'Rome'. I doubt if I'm alone in having this gut reaction. I'm not proud of it - in fact I'm really rather shocked - but chaps, I can see your point about Brokeback Mountain.

So I'll not insist my dear old man comes with me to see Brokeback. I'll go myself or with some girlfriends and we'll leave the chaps to watch the DVDs of Absolutely Fabulous.